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The man who pulled out a Sudanese and Palestinian flag during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show said he felt compelled to use his moment in the Super Bowl to “highlight the human suffering.”
During the performance, Zül-Qarnaįn Nantambu, 41, pulled out the flag with the words “Sudan” and “Gaza” written on it. He told NBC News on Monday that he was accepted about a month ago to be a member of the field cast after someone shared an application with him.
The on-field protest happened as Hamas and Israel are engaged in a fragile ceasefire in the ongoing war and as a bloody civil war rages in Sudan.
President Donald Trump was at Sunday’s game in New Orleans and just days before said the U.S. should seek ownership of the Gaza Strip. Trump said that Palestinians have no choice but to leave their homes there.
Trump on Monday said under his plan, Palestinians would not be able to return to Gaza. That’s an unacceptable outcome, Nantambu said.
Nantambu said he believes that there is good in Trump and that the president “needs to act on that good.”
“I hope God shifts Trump’s heart to be empathetic and compassionate to those who are suffering in Palestine and do what is right by the Palestinians,” Nantambu said. “And if he can help the Sudanese — which I’m sure he can.”
Nantambu’s said his protest was inspired by his Islamic faith, which he said represents truth, justice and peace, and his love he had for the Palestinian and Sudanese people who are suffering.
“And I know it would invigorate their faith, seeing somebody supporting them and thinking about them on such a grand stage to bring awareness to that, to their struggles,” Nantambu said.
A representative for Roc Nation, which produced the show, said the incident was not planned and that the “individual” acted on their own.
Nantambu said Lamar’s performance and use of symbolism with “flags and revolution” kept him from backing out of his protest.
“He had the people formulate the American flag, he had two big black flags with his record label,” Nantambu said. “And he talked about ‘the revolution being televised,’ and he talked about consciousness.”
The show also featured actor Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam, providing commentary and criticism.
Toward the end of the performance, Nantambu said he climbed onto the Buick GNX and pulled out the flag.
He then tried to join the flag bearers on the field, which is when video posted online shows security detaining him. Nantambu said he was questioned after security rushed him off the field Sunday night. But ultimately, he was released without any charges.
The NFL has banned the protester for life from its stadiums and events. Apple Music, which sponsored the show, declined to comment.
Nantambu was identified on social media, and he posted images from the protest on his Instagram account. He said that while he prepared for the worst, he also “hoped for the best” before unveiling his flag.
And part of that hope is that others will be more outspoken, he said.
“Maybe we don’t have the military prowess to stop the war, but we can at least do what we can to help those who are afflicted by these different atrocities in these countries,” Nantambu said.
